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Saturday, July 27, 2013

Mass State Triathlon - Aquabike Race Report

It’s been almost 2 weeks since the Mass State Triathlon and
I’m still alive. I survived it. Never again, for sure. But I survived it. And
not even the whole thing. I did the Aquabike. A 0.9 mile swim and 22 mile bike.
The full tri was followed up by a 6.2 mile run, but I wasn’t crazy enough to
add that on.

I was pretty much blah about the whole thing. I missed the
Escape the Cape triathlon in June because I wasn’t well enough to race it. And
from there, I just didn’t train. I’ve done squat challenges, arm workouts and
ab workouts on a regular basis as well as a few runs, bike rides and swims but
I’m definitely not in triathlon training mode. I’m lucky I got through the
aquabike.

When I went to pick up my packet the day before the race, I
asked about medals for the aquabikers, because it occurred to me that I didn’t
know where or how the aquabike was going to end. I knew the runners crossed the
finish line under the big Max Performance arch, but what about those of us that
decided not to torture ourselves for a 6.2 mile run after all of that biking?
When I asked at packet pick up, I was told that medals were for the top 3 males
and the top 3 females in the aquabike category and there were only about 20
signed up for the aquabike, so I had a good chance. Obviously this lady did not
know me. But that still didn’t stop me from checking out the list of aquabikers
to see my chances. I had none.

But I was still fierce. My motto: Fake it til you make it!

I started the swim in the last wave with the relay group,
the newbies, and the aquabikers.

Gotta have fun right?

I clearly was going to be the last one out of
the water. I expected it and thought that unless someone from an earlier wave
dropped back and got passed, I’d be last. And I was right. Last out of the
water.

I'm probably flailing because I'm glad to be done!

But I had fun. And I finished.

I knew I’d be the last biker too and with 22 miles ahead of
me, I took my sweet time in transition. In addition to my tri shorts, I put on
my bike shorts. If I had to ride for 22 miles, I was sure as hell going to make
it as comfortable as possible.

So I sat right down and made myself at home.

And then I was off...

I had driven the bike course the day before and although the
elevation map showed that it was a gradual uphill for about half the course,
then a gradual downhill. No problem right? Except that was lies. All lies. The
last half of the course had a fair amount of uphill as well. Dread.

The first half of the course was as expected: a gradual climb
that was doable, but annoying. Not enough flat ground to get rest, but just enough to take the edge off of the hills. It was very tiring. The course description said “gradual rolling hills with small
climbs at miles 7-9”. Well, they lied.
Mile 9.8 was the worst. I stopped once to catch my breath. Then when I got to
mile 12, I decided I was wrong. Mile 12 was the worst. By this time I was
already halfway there. I had no choice but to keep going. But the volunteers on
the course were great. It was no secret that I was the last biker out there and
each time I got to a turn or an intersection where traffic might be an issue,
there was at least 2 volunteers, and sometimes more, plus a police officer
waiting for me, ready to hold up traffic for me to let me go buy. I was
definitely impressed with Max Performance’s dedication to their racers. They made
sure all of us were safe out there.When
I hit mile 14.5, there was an officer there as well as a sign that said “bike
course”. A guy was standing on the sidewalk getting ready to cross, but was
held up because I was going by. He yelled out “Bike course? Is a race? Are you
the leader? Are you winning?” And I yelled back “Hell yes I am!”.

When I got to mile 16.3, there was a volunteer who told me
that right around the corner there was a bit of a climb but once I hit the golf
course it was downhill to the finish. Liar. That one was the new worst.

When I got to mile 16.9, I started doing math. I knew the
course was 22 miles. I started figuring out how many more miles I had to
go.I did it again at mile 17.5 and 17.6
and 17.7. When I reached mile 18, I thought “Wouldn’t it suck if I got a flat
tire right now?” Then I did math again to get my mind off of that.

Around that time, I passed a hospital. I contemplated going
in there and playing dead, but the hill into the parking lot was undesirable so I just kept going. A
little while later I passed a cemetery. I thought about just laying down on the
grass next to a grave and letting the elements of nature cover me over
eventually. But again, I kept going.

Finally I made it. And I was alive. It took me a minute to
get off my bike in the dismount area, because sitting on a bike seat for 22
miles is a little bit like getting punched in the crotch. It hurts. Of course I
stopped to pose for a picture.

I like to entertain the volunteers.

Then I made my way to the transition area. And
it was over. I had no idea where I was supposed to go or what to do. There was
no finish line for aquabikers, so I assumed that after finishing the bike
portion and crossing the timing mats into transition, I was done.

But, back to that medal thing. I wanted one. Even though I
didn’t do the full triathlon, I paid the same amount as the crazy people did.
And I finished my race too! I had to give them my timing chip back, which was
over by the finish line, so as I was handing it over, someone from the relay
race was asking about medals. It turns out, everyone got a medal for finishing.
So I got my medal too!

And I posed by the finish line anyway!

After the race, I got a chance to talk to my favorite transition helper,
Megan, about the confusion of the aquabike ending, and she said that it was
their first year doing the aquabike and they were still trying to smooth things
out. I trust they’ll get it straightened out for next year. They’re good about
that stuff. It’s why I keep coming back. Thanks again for a great race
experience, Max Performance! You're definitely a No Runners Left Behind approved race!

While I’m pretty sure I pushed myself to the limit and I’m
definitely not ready for another Olympic distance triathlon any time soon, I
have faith that I might try it again in the future, when I’ve had more training
and I’m more confident in my health.

But for right now...I’ll stick to the sprint distances. In
the meantime, I have the Chunky Dunk Duathlon that I’m doing tomorrow morning.
In about 8 hours. I should get some sleep for that.

“Winning doesn’t always mean getting first place; it means
getting the best out of yourself.” – Meb Keflezighi